ANCIENT INDIAN CIVILIZATION. STANDARD WHI.4a The student will demonstrate knowledge of the...

ANCIENT INDIAN

CIVILIZATION

STANDARD WHI.4aThe student will demonstrate knowledge of the civilizations of Persia, India, and China in terms of chronology, geography, social structures, government, economy, religion, and contributions to later civilizations bya) describing Persia, with emphasis on the development of an imperial bureaucracy.b) describing India, with emphasis on the Aryan migrations and the caste system.c) describing the origins, beliefs, traditions, customs, and spread of Hinduism.d) describing the origins, beliefs, traditions, customs, and spread of Buddhism.e) describing China, with emphasis on the development of an empire and the construction of the Great Wall;f) describing the impact of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism

Section 1India is a land of great: DiversityIndia has over 110 different languages with over 1100 dialects spoken. Its geography ranges from fertile forests, to desert, to high mountains.

Indian Subcontinent: A landmass that is smaller than a continent. India is a subcontinent of Asia. It is divided from Asia by the Himalaya and Hindu Kush mountain ranges.

HimalayaTallest mountains in the world.

Hindu KushTo the NW, above the Indus river.

Khyber PassMountain pass in the Hindu Kush.This was the passage for invaders who entered India.

29, 035 ft

Ganges RiverMost sacred river of India.

Indus RiverSite of the first Indian Civilization

Deccan PlateauTriangular region in central India between E. and W. Ghats.Is very arid.

Eastern and Western GhatsMountains frame the Deccan, have fertile coastal plains

MonsoonsMonsoons are seasonal winds. These winds blow from different directions during different times of the year.

Arabian Sea

Bay of Bengal

Indian Ocean

Summer MonsoonBlows over the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean bringing rain to India.

Winter MonsoonBlows over land and is dry.

SummerMonsoon

WinterMonsoon

I ndia First Civilizations

Indus Valley CivilizationBegan in: 3000 B.C. to 1500 B.C. in the Indus River Valley. It is thought that a civilization existed here that reached hundreds of miles from the Himalaya mountains to the shore of the Arabian Sea.

Two main cities found are: Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro

Harappa and Mohenjo-DaroPopulation: It is thought that Harappa had up to 35,000 people at its height and that Mohenjo-Daro has between 35,000-40,000 people.

Organization: These cities were very carefully planned.

Features: There is evidence of streets laid out in grids, walled neighborhoods, multi-story buildings, water and sanitation systems, garbage chutes that took trash from houses to street-level garbage bins.

Houses were made of mud bricks baked in ovens are were square forming a grid pattern.

Rulers and Economy: Rulers said their powers came from the gods. It is thought that religious and political life were closely linked.

Their economy was based on agriculture, including wheat, barely, and peas. They probably traded with other city states in Mesopotamia by sailing across the Persian Gulf. They traded copper, lumber, gemstones, and luxury goods for Textiles and food. Trade may have also gone over land through the Khyber pass.

One of 8 public wells found so far

The Aryan Invasion Theory of IndiaHistorians are not exactly sure what brought an end to the Indus Valley Civilizations. It may have been a natural disaster, climate change or a change in the course of the Indus River.

1500 B.C.: In this year many historians believe a group of Indo-European nomads began to move out of C. Asia. These people were known as the Aryans.It is thought that they migrated south through the Hindu Kush using the Khyber pass.

Arrival in India: Advanced East from the Indus Valley, eventually occupying almost all of India. Some theorize that the Dravidians (The original people of India) recognized the advanced technology of the Aryans and eventually assimilated into Aryan culture and were not forced to migrate south.

Warfare: Were advanced fighters.

Influence of Iron: Iron tools allowed for improvements in Agriculture including the plow.

Agriculture: Tools and irrigation made it possible for the people to clear the jungle around the Ganges and create a rich farming region.

Basic crops in the north were grains, and in the south rice was common. People also began to grow cotton and spices.

Sanskrit: 1000 B.C: The written language known as Sanskrit enabled the peoples to write down their stories and religious chants and rituals. These eventually became the sacred texts of Hinduism, the Vedas.

Rajas: Princes of the Aryans, warring chieftains who fought each other seizing territory and prisoners.

Status of Women: Women had very low social status.There was a ritual of Suttee (Sati) where women were expected to throw themselves on the crematory fires of their dead husbands. If they refused they were disgraced.

Family Life in Ancient IndiaFamily was the most basic unit of Indian society. There was an ideal of an extended family including multiple generations living together.

Patriarchal: Indian society was male dominated. Only men could inherit property and only boys were educated.

Arranged Marriages: Parents usually arranged marriages for political and economic reasons when children were very young.

Chronology

•3000 – 2600 BCE ~ Harappan Civilization

•1200 – 500 BCE ~ Vedic Era – Hinduism

•550 – 100 BCE ~ Hindu Rivals – Buddhism

•322 – 185 BCE ~ Mauryan Empire

•320 – 540 CE ~ Gupta Empire

•REMEMBER Chronology is WAY may important than dates!

• Chandragupta Maurya ruled from 321 BCE.

• The Mauryan Empire he established controlled northern India until 184 BCE.

Chandragupta’s Accomplishments:

• A postal system

• Strong army

• Extensive spy network

• Coins

• His grandson, Asoka, was a fierce conqueror who extended the empire to include 2/3rds of the subcontinent.

• He converted to Buddhism in mid-career & helped spread that religion.

Asoka’s Accomplishments:

•Enlightened laws written in Sanskrit (local language) known as the Rock Edicts.•Free hospitals, veterinary clinics, good roads

•Spread Buddhism

• After the Mauryan Empire, 500 years went by before India was reunited under the Gupta Empire.

• Chandragupta I & II (not related to the Mauryans) began their empire in 310 CE.

The Gupta Empire lasted until about 600 CE.

This era was India’s Classical Age, or Golden Age.

Gupta Accomplishments:

•Arts, literature, poetry, & drama flourished.

•Hinduism expanded.

•Advances in algebra, developed the concept of infinity & zero & ‘Arabic’ numerals 1 - 9 (so-called because they were used by Arab traders)

Om…the sound of the universe

Hinduism

-Brahma“the Creator”

-Vishnu “the Preserver”

-Shiva “the Destroyer”

Basic Beliefs

• All living things have a soul

• Brahman is the eternal soul

• The illusion of reality, or maya, keeps

the soul from rejoining with the

eternal soul

• Reincarnation purifies the soul

Dharma

Karma

Samsara

Moksha

Dharma

Your Duty. The rules you must follow to earn good Karma.

Karma

All of the actions in this life that affect your next life.

Has nothing to do with revenge

or retribution

Samsara (reincarnation)

Being stuck in the cycle of death and rebirth.

Moksha (Nirvana)

Union with Brahman.

Release from Samsara

reincarnation

Hindus also believe in ahimsa, or the concept of non-violence

Bathing in the sacred Ganges River

Priests

Princes

Merchants/Artisans

Peasants/Farmers

The Caste System

Untouchables

Kashmir (in N. India) = Hindus vs. Muslims

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/kashmir_disputed_2003.jpg

Buddhism

“Let a man overcome anger by love, let him overcome evil by good. Let

him overcome the greedy by liberality, the liar by truth.”

–Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha

Siddhartha Gautama finds enlightenment under a tree in the deer park at Sarnath.

Buddha is depicted many different ways.

The Four Noble Truths

1.Reincarnation

2.Desire = Suffering

3. Desire = Suffering

4.Eight Fold Path

Eightfold Path

Right ViewRight IntentionsRight SpeechRight ActionRight LivelihoodRight EffortRight MindfulnessRight Concentration

AS BUDDHISM SPREAD…

Monks and nuns help lead Buddhism today.

The Dalai Lama represents Buddhism to world

leaders.